Best Age for Cruising?

[Peaseblossom36]

I know this will vary but was curious about everyone’s experiences, especially those who cruised with their children at different ages.

We cruised in 2019 before having our child and had an amazing time. We tried to cruise twice and ended up canceling both right before they were officially cancelled. Now we have a toddler who is crazy . As much as we would both like to go again, we’ve agreed to wait until she won’t need to be in the nursery.

This is less about remembering things, since I went on a Disney cruise at 12-13 and don’t remember every little thing (had a great time though). It’s more from the perspective of being able to really do things in clubs, activities and excursions. Again, I know answers will vary - just curious to hear about others experiences.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We didn't discover cruising until our youngest was 4. He is now 22 and I still feel like that's a perfect age to start.
First, they're potty trained by then so no need to pack diapers, diaper bag, etc. Second, they can go all day without napping. Next, they're old enough to go to the clubs and better able to communicate their needs to parents or CMs in the clubs. Last, they're old enough that you can reason with him/her. At 4, I took him to the railing and showed him how far down the water is and told him, "If you were climbing or horsing around near the railing and fell, there is no way we can get you back." His eyes got big but he has never ever attempted to climb or stand on a chair or any object to see over the railing. You simply can't reason with a 2 year old.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

BTW, I don't believe in that "waiting until they're old enough to remember it" crap. I went to Italy when I was 23, planned the trip myself, and still don't remember a lot of it. There's only so much that anyone can retain from a trip 20 or 30 years later. Your baby won't remember cruising at 4 or 5, but you will remember seeing her happiness.

 

[soniam]

Wait until potty trained. After that, go for it. Try to get ad many Disney cruises in before they turn 18, so they can still go to the kid/teen clubs.

 

[martikus]

Potty trained as that is what the pools require. I can’t imagine having to tell a non potty trained kid - nope sorry you can’t go in that beautiful pool.

After that any age. They will be different depending on each age but we love it. Sure I may not see the late shows but I get to do family bingo instead. Our favorite vacation!

 

[Flying Fish]

I had to go back and look. I think our first cruise with the kids was when my youngest was 3 1/2. Does she remember everything? Heck no, but I don't either. What I do remember is seeing her smile and hearing her laugh. Truth is, it will be a lot easier on you and more fun for both of you if you wait until yours is potty trained. Try to time it so you're on the cruise the following day. For me that worry about waiting until they are old enough is from worrying how people will judge you. I've heard it 100x time before from people saying, "she won't even remember this, why did you bring her?" I let that affect us too much. Go and have fun with your children and make memories. If I could turn back time and do it all over again, I would do all of those things that I didn't do because I worried they were too young.

 

[Marc D]

My son‘s first cruise was when he was 6mo. I would say to simply go now. You never know what’s going to happen in life. Every age has advantages and challenges. Waiting for a specific milestone means you’ll miss things they would do now that they would not later.

In our case, if I‘d waited for him to be potty trained, I would have missed 3-4 cruises for nothing, since he didn’t want to go to the kids club before he was 6yo, and he doesn’t like to go in the pools.

 

[nancipants]

I know this will vary but was curious about everyone’s experiences, especially those who cruised with their children at different ages.

We cruised in 2019 before having our child and had an amazing time. We tried to cruise twice and ended up canceling both right before they were officially cancelled. Now we have a toddler who is crazy . As much as we would both like to go again, we’ve agreed to wait until she won’t need to be in the nursery.

This is less about remembering things, since I went on a Disney cruise at 12-13 and don’t remember every little thing (had a great time though). It’s more from the perspective of being able to really do things in clubs, activities and excursions. Again, I know answers will vary - just curious to hear about others experiences.

We took our son on his first cruise on the Fantasy in August, he was 2.5. We were supposed to go in 2020 when he was 8 months, but obviously that was canceled.

There were a lot of ups but a LOT of downs about traveling with a toddler. My child is also crazy, so I commend you for wanting to be prepared! The first few days were rough as he got used to being in a new place and the time change. Embarkation Day was basically a tantrum disaster. But it got better each day and we ended up having a wonderful time. Here's my tips.

First, in retrospect, I would have waited to travel with him before was kids club eligible so we could get some time alone. However, we had family travel with us (my mom and my in laws), so we had plenty of help to take him off our hands so we could go to Palo, spend time in the Quiet Cove, etc.

My son was potty trained when we traveled, so he could go in the pools. I was not as concerned about that, though, since we have a pool at home. (I wanted him potty trained before the cruise so we didn't have to pack diapers!) He LOVED Nemo's Reef (mostly the slide) and the AquaLab to a lesser extent. Later in the cruise, we took him to the smaller pool and he loved splashing around while watching the funnel vision.

We also transitioned him to a toddler bed so he would be able to sleep on the converted couch with no issues. We asked for a bed rail and it worked perfectly. We brought a blanket and stuffed animal from home, along with our sound machine, so he felt right at home. We also brought a non-wifi video monitor so our parents could stay in their rooms, or we could go on the balcony, and still keep and eye on him while he was sleeping

One of his favorite things to do was watch Mickey cartoons in our stateroom TV or in grandma's connecting room while we got dressed or had downtime. Downtime was extremely important for us. He's used to a lot of independent play at home and would sometimes ask to go back to the room so he could play. We brought a few toy cars with him, a Melissa and Doug travel train set, and also bought some small toys in the gift shop (a cruise ship and a Mickey pirate ship).

We took him to see a few characters when they had short lines (Chip and Dale, Thor in the kids club). However, anything longer than 10 minutes was a recipe for disaster.

We took advantage of open house in the Oceaneer Club (they had it every morning) and also went to one of the toddler time sessions in Andy's Room.

We did register him for the nursery, but ended up not taking him due to our family being able to watch him. I think he would have liked it (he loves daycare), but he does a lot better with older kids than younger kids, so I would have been worried about him being too rough in there.

We did early dinner and yes, he stayed the entire time. He watched movies on his phone to distract him. Our servers were great and set him up with apple juice and cucumber slices or berries every day. He loved the poolside options like pizza and chicken tenders for lunch. He ate many, many ice cream cones.

We tried to keep to our normal sleep schedule as much as possible. I've seen people say this is impossible, but IMO what's impossible is my child on no sleep.

Overall, I would say taking smaller babies/infants is feasible. Taking a toddler is rough unless you have family help. If not, I would wait until they are Oceaneer Club eligible.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

My son‘s first cruise was when he was 6mo. I would say to simply go now. You never know what’s going to happen in life. Every age has advantages and challenges. Waiting for a specific milestone means you’ll miss things they would do now that they would not later.

In our case, if I‘d waited for him to be potty trained, I would have missed 3-4 cruises for nothing, since he didn’t want to go to the kids club before he was 6yo, and he doesn’t like to go in the pools.

A 6 month old stays where you put him, so you’re not chasing him around near water.
Also, he wont cry for things he sees on the ship.
He won’t see the pool and want to go in it. You aren’t trying to explain to him why he is seeing a 3 year old playing in the water while he can’t.
Traveling with a small infant has its own issues, but they are not the same as traveling with a toddler.

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

I know this will vary but was curious about everyone’s experiences, especially those who cruised with their children at different ages.

We cruised in 2019 before having our child and had an amazing time. We tried to cruise twice and ended up canceling both right before they were officially cancelled. Now we have a toddler who is crazy . As much as we would both like to go again, we’ve agreed to wait until she won’t need to be in the nursery.

This is less about remembering things, since I went on a Disney cruise at 12-13 and don’t remember every little thing (had a great time though). It’s more from the perspective of being able to really do things in clubs, activities and excursions. Again, I know answers will vary - just curious to hear about others experiences.

I would say definitely post-potty training and comfortable being left with strangers so 4 might work but 5 is also a good age.

 

[tvguy]

My kids were 11 and 15 on their first cruise. We thought that was a good age given how expensive cruises are. They definitely remember it.
Their first trip to DL was at age 4 for each. In hindsight really a waste of money because they have no recollection of any DL trips until they were about 8. The majority of our vacations were family trips to visit elderly relatives. Our priority was for our kids to see their Great-Grandparents and Grandparents on a regular (annual) basis. Not sure they remember those trips either, but that was a priority for me because I never knew any of my Grandparents, all but 1 had passed by the time I was born. And it was a priority for my wife because she did know not only her Grandparents (3 of them), but also one of her Great-Grandparents.
I know some people are of a different mindset. But I'm sorry a 1-5 year old is going to have no memory of the trip. I sure don't have any memories (other than photos) of my trips until I was 5 or 6.

 

[dreamer17555]

My kids were 11 and 15 on their first cruise. We thought that was a good age given how expensive cruises are. They definitely remember it.
Their first trip to DL was at age 4 for each. In hindsight really a waste of money because they have no recollection of any DL trips until they were about 8. The majority of our vacations were family trips to visit elderly relatives. Our priority was for our kids to see their Great-Grandparents and Grandparents on a regular (annual) basis. Not sure they remember those trips either, but that was a priority for me because I never knew any of my Grandparents, all but 1 had passed by the time I was born. And it was a priority for my wife because she did know not only her Grandparents (3 of them), but also one of her Great-Grandparents.
I know some people are of a different mindset. But I'm sorry a 1-5 year old is going to have no memory of the trip. I sure don't have any memories (other than photos) of my trips until I was 5 or 6.

They might not remember it but as a parent I am betting you remember things from those trips. I remember parts (not all) of a Disney World trip I took when I was 6. Just a few memories but they are there. My DD has a handful of memories from the trip she took at 7 but I remember every part of that trip and how magical it was at her age.

 

[tvguy]

They might not remember it but as a parent I am betting you remember things from those trips. I remember parts (not all) of a Disney World trip I took when I was 6. Just a few memories but they are there. My DD has a handful of memories from the trip she took at 7 but I remember every part of that trip and how magical it was at her age.

Yes. I remember having to go back to the hotel for little kids to take a nap. But we are a hard core Disney family. In the park with early admission at 630 am, and not leaving until Midnight ( 1 am back in the days when DL stayed open that late). So we lost about 3 hours a day of park time when they were young.

 

[DisneyConvert]

Wait until potty trained. After that, go for it. Try to get ad many Disney cruises in before they turn 18, so they can still go to the kid/teen clubs.

100%. My wife took our son when he was 1, and then were able to do 9 cruises with him between 3+ and 18, and they were all wonderful.

Now he's 21 and that's ok too, but bittersweet.

 

[CinderEmma94]

I just took my 3 year old for the first time in August and it was pure magic. She wasn’t 100% potty trained at the time, but that was fine. She wasn’t interested in the kids clubs outside of open house time (we went for about an hour most days in the morning) and could care less about the pools (she did great with a swim diap and the splash area - she only really cared about the Mr Ray finding Nemo slide anyway).

We are firmly in the camp of travel if you can where and when you want to even with kids in tow. No they won’t remember a lot of it. But she still talks to me every day about things she did and what she wants to do “when we go back on the ship when she’s 4”. It’ll fade over time but I have plenty of pictures and memories to share as she gets older.

 

[vspenn]

for us, the nursery is THE reason to cruise with Disney. No other hotel that we looked at except Club Med takes kids that young off your hands. This is the only way I got a bit of a break on vacation when kids were that little. We went when my youngest was 8months and it was amazing to just leave him in the nursery and have a grown up dinner (4yo was happy in the kids club) and a little pool time to ourselves.
and once they are old enough to do more (4yo and up), then it becomes really fun. My oldest is still only 8, so we didn't age out of kids club yet and the kids keep begging to go again on a cruise.
We had not issues with the little guy (when he was under 3) being happy in the splash area. and on shore days, we'd go to the beach and have a nice day with him in the sea. that was sufficient. We did have to split with one parent in the splash pad and the other with the older kid in the big pool.

 

[tvguy]

They might not remember it but as a parent I am betting you remember things from those trips. I remember parts (not all) of a Disney World trip I took when I was 6. Just a few memories but they are there. My DD has a handful of memories from the trip she took at 7 but I remember every part of that trip and how magical it was at her age.

I remember how much I paid to get in the park and losing 3 hours of park time for naps hurt!
My oldest Granddaughter went to Disneyland for the first time last year at age 2 1/2. That was different because her parents live 50 miles from Disneyland, and they stumbled into free tickets. They did elect to stay at a hotel to maximize their park time. But I could see doing that if it was free.

 

[Minniemoo15]

We are an annual trip to WDW DVC family and started taking our girls once they turned 2 (before that they stayed home with grandparents). Even though they don’t remember, I cherish those memories. Every stage has brought about something great and added to our vacations.

We are doing our first disney cruise next month and they will be 7 and 9. That seems pretty perfect for DCL because I know they will be really into the kids clubs, can stay up late for the shows, enjoy Castaway etc. It’s likely the one and only cruise we will ever do so I wanted to wait until they were about this age.

 

[Carohs]

I would say at whatever age they can sit through a movie. The shows are 1-hour long and I wouldn't want to need to get up midway through, or miss altogether because of my LO. Our first one, DD was only 5 and it seemed the perfect age. She was independent enough that I could leave her in kids club, and know she was having an awesome time, and participate/engage in other ship activities. Five is also young enough that she very much still believed in all the magic, and that the characters are all real, etc. You should have heard the conversations she had with the characters!

 

[Aimeedyan]

We recently took our (almost) 3 year old on a Disney cruise - first cruise since having a child. He was not quite potty trained. We had a blast!

Cruiseship pools are not enticing to me at all (except maybe the adult pool to cool off) so we didn't miss using them and he never wanted to leave the splash pad. Not once asked about the other pools.

The nursery was amazing and allowed us to have some adult time in the evening. He could not sit through shows so we booked nursery for the ones we wanted to see.

He mostly skips naps on vacas and did all that week. He stayed up late, too. Kid has major FOMO and was beside himself with excitement over his trip on Mickey's boat. Thankfully, from birth he's been easy going regarding schedules (esp since cruises have great programming so late at night).

It was such a magical trip.

That said... we got a killer FL resident VGT rate for a mid-Sept cruise. We will do another one but if we're paying more in line with typical rates, we will wait until he's 4+ so he can use kid's club, sit through shows, be able to dine for longer stretches, etc.